A restoration of a bishop in Mosul is so symbolic for Iraq and the Christian community in Ninawa. For many, his appointment is seen as a blessing of hope.
Caritas is preparing for a wave of people fleeing the embattled Iraqi city of Mosul. Between 1.2 to 1.5 million people could be affected and 200,000 could flee in the first few weeks.
Caritas Internationalis President Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle visited a refugee camp in Lebanon in February 2016 as part of the Syria: Peace is Possible Campaign.
One of the many things that gets left behind when a family is uprooted by war, is a child’s education. If left without schooling for a prolonged time, the long-term effects on a child’s life and possibilities can be devastating.
Wesal Badel’s home used to feel more like a cave than a house. It was made of clay and there were no windows for light or ventilation and the lack of a front door meant snakes and scorpions often found their way in.
"They stopped me and my wife and children at a roadblock. Then they kept us in a cell for nine months. I was often tortured there...We were very lucky. They released us on payment of a ransom...and because we agreed to become Moslems."
Many people ask me about the conditions and lives of Christians in Iraq. I don't wish to be pessimistic, but unfortunately the situation is going from bad to worse: bombing, car bombs, suicide bombings, rape, torture, kidnapping and robbery are just some of the agents of death used by ISIS.
Jordan hosts 1.4 million Syrians, 500,000 Iraqis, and 500,000 Palestinians, in addition to 35,000 Yemeni. Caritas Jordan provides food, shelter, medical care, counselling, education and other aid. The numbers in need are overwhelming, but every refugee helped is a victory.
A photo story on the Christian, Yazidi and other religious minorities who fled persecution last June to Kurdistan, where they're in desperate need of help.
Caritas has decided to help the isolated families in remote locations up to the Syrian border, where often no one is aware of the needs of displaced persons, and where almost no agency can get to.